


Sunday Afternoon

by MisplacedReality



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Dangers of boredom, F/M, Fluff, improper use of government supplies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-13
Updated: 2014-08-13
Packaged: 2018-02-13 01:47:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2132526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MisplacedReality/pseuds/MisplacedReality
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's a lazy Sunday and the duo find themselves still at work.  Scully lets her mind wander and it goes places she's not ready to deal with.  Fortunately, Mulder has an idea that keeps her distracted.</p>
<p>Light and fluffy.  Just the way I like them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sunday Afternoon

**Author's Note:**

> Originally published on ff.net. I think it looks better here.

Scully lazily drummed her fingers on the desk.  She was bored.  Extremely bored.  Something in the last case they'd worked on had reminded Mulder of an X-file and he was convinced there had to be some kind of connection.  But he couldn't remember which one.  So they'd spent the day reading through old case file after old case file, trying--in vain, she thought--to find whatever it was that sparked Mulder's memory.  She was ready to kill him.

She looked to where he sat at his desk, pouring over some unsolved case as though he'd discovered the cure for cancer.  How he could stay interested in these documents for four unbroken hours, Scully had no clue.  She picked up the pencil and began to doodle on the notepad in front of her.  Sometimes she wondered how she ever put up with him.  All these crazy ideas he had.  It was insane.  Here they were, wasting a perfectly good Sunday afternoon in the office, reading boring papers about...She paused mid thought and looked down at the paper before of her.  Ectoplasmic residue implying the presence of ghosts.  She sighed wearily.

"Mulder, how did I ever let you talk me into this?"  She asked in a voice that more than adequately expressed her extreme boredom.

"Well, because Scully," he answered vaguely, concentrating deeply on the file, "I'm just so darn irresistible. How could you say no?"

She frowned at him as he grinned slyly at her.  As he went back to reading the file she continued to watch him.  Watching his lips move slightly as he read and noticing the unkempt way his hair fell across his brow.  She smiled slightly as she realized just how boyish he looked.  Shaking her head, she attempted yet again to concentrate on finding whatever it was Mulder was looking for.  But her eyes kept wandering back to Mulder.  He wasn't wearing a suit today, she noted distractedly.  He looked nice without a suit.  She bet he'd look nice without anything on.

Scully's eyes widened and she sat up straight, barely believing what she just thought.  She shifted her eyes away from him, and stared back at the desk.  She shook her head again, rationalizing the thought.  It was the boredom talking.  All these hours spent in a small office on a beautiful day caused the odd thought.  But she couldn't help but admit to it.  She did think it, and she did believe it.  Her heart beat slightly faster and she questioned yet again how Mulder had convinced her to come.  Maybe it did have anything to do with him.  Maybe she just wanted to be here.  With him.

She groaned and rested her head on the desk.  How could she have let this happen?  How could this have happened without her noticing sooner?  She was Dana Scully medical doctor.  She did not give in to casual attraction.  She scolded herself for acting like a schoolgirl and sat up, staring at the papers but not reading a word.

_Well,_ she thought, _there are two ways I can handle this.  One, I could do what I've been doing and pretend I don't feel anything more than friendship towards him. Or I could actually think it all through, and figure out how to act on these newly realized emotions._

She looked back up at Mulder, and couldn't help but grin.  He looked so serious and involved.  She sighed and decided to push all those thoughts out of her mind.  There would be plenty of time to deal with their relationship later.  But right now, she wasn't going to waste a perfectly good Sunday afternoon being bored in an office.  Tearing off the corner of the notepad paper she crumbled it up into a little ball.  Holding in a giggle she took aim, throwing the paper and hitting Mulder right on the temple. He looked up at her surprised and she smiled innocently at him.

"Mulder," she said calmly, "I'm bored.  And I'm tired of reading about spooks and specters.  It's a beautiful Sunday afternoon.  Can't we do something fun?"

Mulder stood up, rubbing his neck.  "Well, what did you have in mind Scully?"

Scully thought for a moment.  The building was fairly empty since it was Sunday, and their floor was practically deserted.  She stood up and stretched, running through her mind possible modes of entertainment.

"Let's go to the supply room."  Mulder stated walking out the door.

Scully stood shocked for a moment.  She couldn't quite believe she'd heard what she thought she heard.  Quickly judging the situation in her mind, Scully decided to follow him and see what he had planned.  Her heart fluttered slightly and she gritted her teeth, angry with herself again for acting like a teenager.  Whatever Mulder had in mind, she thought, he'd better behave himself.

* * *

In the supply room they'd created armies of troops.  Mulder, King of the Paper Clips and Post-it notes, stood poised to war with Scully, the Commander of the Staples and White Out.  Both sides lined up and prepared for combat.  Mulder lay on his stomach, carefully lining up the paper clips for his offensive strike, while positioning the post-it notes for a small defensive.  Scully sat on her knees, cleverly using the staples as a defense and arranging the white out for a powerful offense.  It would be a tough and gruesome battle, of which the outcome was unclear.

"Well Scully," Mulder asked mischievously, "Are you ready for battle?"

Scully grinned at him.  "Bring it on."

With that, the battle ensued.  Paper clips and staples went flying as the two sides attacked.  Soon the battle was forced to a close, the leaders of the two sides laughing too hard to command the troops.  Though the battle was relatively short both sides bore battle wounds.  Scully had post-it notes placed variously about her person while Mulder had white out streaked across his nose and forehead.  They would look at each other and start giggling again.  Sitting side by side and leaning against a wall of the supply room they managed to calm down.  After a bit Mulder stood up, pulling Scully with him.

"Come on Scully, I'm feeling hungry."

"But Mulder," Scully protested as he dragged her out of the room.  "What about the mess we made?"

"Ah, don't worry about it Scully.  Someone will clean it up.  Come on, live a little.  Make a mess every once and a while.  It'd be good for you to loosen up a little."

Scully grinned at him.  "You know Mulder, you're hopeless."

Mulder smiled back at her as he led them toward the cafeteria.  "I'm so glad you think so."

* * *

Mulder reached into the vending machine and pulled out the candy bar from the slot.  Scully grimaced at him as she drank her water.

"You know what that stuff can do to your system?"  She asked as he took a bite.

"Probably the same thing all those worms and bacteria in the burger I ate this morning will do to me."  He answered.

"You had a hamburger for breakfast?"  Scully asked, slightly shocked.  "Mulder, have you ever considered that a healthier diet wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for you?  You're not getting any younger you know."  She patted his stomach lightly, grinning at his frown.

"You know," he retaliated, "I'm not the only one who isn't getting younger.  Are you sure you haven't been sneaking a few of those burgers in Scully?"

She stared at him in shock and mock-anger, and he merely chuckled at the look on her face.  Without a thought she flicked her wrist and splashed some of the water from her water bottle in Mulder's face.  When she laughed at the expression on his face, Mulder grinned wickedly and reached for his own water bottle.

"Mulder," she said, backing away.  "Don't you dare."

"So that's the way it's going to be."  He said as they both took a fighting stance.  "Well, two can play this game."

He threw water at her, but Scully dodged it, racing around to the other side of they table.  She laughed and tossed some more water at Mulder, hitting him on the shoulder.  The water fight continued until they ran out of water and breath, both of them dripping slightly.  They sat down at one of the tables in silence for a moment.  Each enjoying the company of the other.

"Scully," said the brooding agent, "I want to thank you for coming in today.  I know going through the old files isn't your favorite thing to do, and I'm grateful that you came into help."

"Well, I'm just sorry we didn't find anything Mulder. And I'm not quite sure how much of a help I was since I had no clue what you were looking for."

"I know, but it was nice to have the company."

Scully felt her heart rate quicken slightly as he smiled at her.  She sat there for a moment, staring into his eyes, watching him watch her.  After a moment of silence she noticed music playing on the speaker system.   _That's odd,_ she thought, _why didn't I notice it before?_  It was an old love song, one that she slightly remembered thinking foolish.  Her attention turned back to Mulder as he stood up.

With an outstretched hand he asked, "You want to dance?"

She blinked at him.  "Here?  In the cafeteria?"

He shrugged.  "Why not?"

For a moment Scully searched her brain, trying to find some reason why they shouldn't dance.  When Mulder mentioned it was either dance or get back to work, she decided to accept his offer.  Cautiously, she reached up, placing her hands around his shoulders as he gently held her waist.  Her pulse raced as he pulled her close.  She was aware of everything about him; the way he smelled and the feel of his muscles moving under the thin cotton shirt.  They swayed it time with the music and the world seemed to stop.  For one perfect moment, Scully's world faded and dimmed until only she, Mulder, and the music were left.  Everything seemed so simple and she lost herself in the feeling of his arms around her, holding her close.  Like the rest of everything didn't matter, anymore.  Maybe the song wasn't as silly as she used to think.

But the song ended, as did their dance, and Scully's perfect moment.  She sighed slightly as they pulled apart. She stared up into his deep eyes, trying desperately to read the emotions hidden there.  His lips quirked slightly and he leaned down, gently brushing his lips against her cheek.

"Thank you, Dana."

And with that he left.  Scully couldn't stop the flush that spread across her face.  She raised a hand to the spot where Mulder had kissed her and she smiled slightly.  Mulder had gone back to work and she should do the same.  There would be time for figuring this all out later, she decided.  But now, she would help Mulder find whatever it was he was looking for.  If he was looking for anything at all.  She had a sneaking suspicion that he had talked her into coming just for the company.  But she didn't mind, not really.  She smiled again, shaking her head she left the cafeteria, and returned to work with a little more enthusiasm than when she came in.

Well, she thought, it didn't turn out to be too bad of a Sunday afternoon.


End file.
